I think that's preposterous! What do they think she's working for, pocket money? What if she didn't have a husband and was the only breadwinner in her household?
I had a similar experience when working in real estate (sales) 10 years ago. The director of the agency expected me to wear designer clothes, and he wanted me to have 12 different tailor suits, a different one for each consecutive day of 2 Monday to Saturday weeks. Plus the blouses, the shoes, the assorted handbags, the accessories... I had about 3 different cheap but smart suits (more trousers) and a dozen smart blouses, which I rotated, but it wasn't enough for him. He wanted me take what would be today a �5,000 loan ('to begin with' in his own words!) to go shopping with him: he would point out to me what he wanted me to buy, and I would foot the bill.
I changed job.